Chicken with Passion Fruit Sauce over Dried Fruit and Nuts Orzo
Ingredients
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ cups passion fruit puree
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- ½ cup dried cherries
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ¼ cup almonds
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup fresh chives chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a medium bowl and add the olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Toss to combine, cover and let marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
- Meanwhile make the sauce: In a medium sauce pan, place the passion fruit puree and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the heavy cream, bring to a boil one more time and reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 7 minutes. Set aside.
- To make the orzo: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the olive oil and toss. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently to combine.
- To serve: Place orzo on a serving plate top with the chicken breast and drizzle passion fruit sauce on top. Bring the extra sauce to the table.
This dish tasted great and was easy to make! I love to combine meats with fruit as that combo makes for a delicious dish, which is why I created this Chicken with Passion Fruit Sauce. As you may know from reading my blog, passion fruit is a popular fruit in Colombia and I usually have bags of frozen pulp in my freezer to make juice. But, since this sauce was so delicious, I will be using the pulp to make sauces more often. Remember, it is important that you make the orzo with the dried fruit because together, they make the perfect marriage.
Last night I had a dream that I thought I should share with my blogger friends. The Food Network called me and told me that I won a prize and that I could spend a whole day with one of their celebrity chefs. They asked me which chef would be my choice. It took me a while to answer because I am a fan of all the chefs, but at the end, I chose Bobby Flay. Then they asked me why and I said, because he is a great chef and I love the flavors he uses in his food. Then I woke up, so that was the end of the dream. So, my question for you is, if you could choose a celebrity chef to spend the day with, which chef would you choose and why?
Muneeba
Exotic and fresh and perfect for my tropical state of mind right now! Love the passionfruit sauce 🙂
Ivy
We don't get passion fruit in Greece, so I don't know how it tastes, but your chicken recipe with orzo sounds delicious.
Natasha - 5 Star Foodie
Mmm... the passion fruit sauce sounds amazing!
Soma
That nutty orzo with sweet tinge sounds fabulous. I love orzo, may be becoz' of its nearness to rice.
I hardly see passion fruit here. Meat always taste good with sweet tangy sauces. what a special dish! nice one for holiday dinners too.
Erica
Thank you all for visiting 🙂
Hummingbird Appetite
That looks really delicious! I love dried cranberries and will add it to apple crisps and turkey hash. I'll have to look for passion fruit puree.
zerrin
This must have a unique taste with the combo of sweet and savory. I could never think of using fruit with meat. Great idea!
Simply Life
YUM! Orzo is one of my favorite noodle - this looks great!
Pilar
Hola Erica, Sugerencia (acá de atrevida) para tus seguidores colombianos: en versión colombiana se pueden reemplazar los cranberries deshidratados (aunque acá ya se consiguen) por uchuvas deshidratadas (las venden principalmente en Bogota en Carulla, Pomona y Surtifruver de la Sabana), y los dried cherries por mango deshidratado picado en cuadritos.
Just a suggestion for colombian readers since finding dried cranberries down here isn't common: substitute them for dried uchuvas (gooseberries) and chopped dried mangos.
Saludos,
Pilar
Erica
Thank you, Pilar!
Jhonny Walker
Lovely Erica..I love to combine meat and fruits too..its counterintuitive...but so good. The results I mean. And you have nuts to boot. Awesome
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Passion fruit sauce sounds really special!
Erica
Thank you everyone for taking the time to read my post!
Barbara
Passion fruit is one of my favorites! I love the sweet/tart flavor and use it in a lot of recipes. I've never though to use it over a chicken dish, but I bet it's delicious. Also love your nuts orzo.
You probably chose Bobby Flay because he prefers to cook with South American and Southwest flavors.
I'd choose Ina Garten. I seem to go back to her recipes over and over and she seems to have a great sense of humor.
Ellen
Good question .... I think I would pick Guy Fieri or the Neely's. I love Bobby Flay's Throwdown - and Grill it with Bobby. Wouldn't it be great if you could be on one of Bobby's shows 🙂
Gera @ SweetsFoods
Erica an ideal meal that combine savory and sweet with a perfect balance of flavors done by the passion fruit… yum yum 🙂
Cheers!
Gera
anncoo
This must be yummy. Great combo with all those nuts 🙂